I got a HDD dock from startech.com. It works great and does everything I need. The problem is it has the brightest goddamn blue LED I have ever seen. It is so unnecessarily bright. My eyes hurt looking in the same direction as it. What the fuck should I do? Return it? De solder the stupid ass LED? It works great aside from this one issue.

Edit: I opened the thing and drew with sharpie on the LED. It’s bearable to look at now.

  • @Stovetop@lemmy.world
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    173 months ago

    Likely not, it seems wasteful if the product is otherwise good in all other important regards. I’d just cover up the LED with tape or paint.

  • @thezeesystem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    23 months ago

    Depends on the product and how inexpensive it is but generally avoid touch devices or anything with led or lights on them that are not needed because I don’t need a fucking touch display for something a button can do.

    I bought a air fryer a week ago and couldn’t find one that had simple dials and buttons. It’s fucking disgusting and it’s so bright too. But hey, I can use it as a night light when I’m getting water I guess

  • @lemonuri@lemmy.ml
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    123 months ago

    Blue LEDs are the worst offenders. No need to return it as long as you keep a bit of black tape ready. If you still need it as an indicator, you can use layers of yellowish tape. The one used while painting your walls works great. Masking tape it’s called in English.

  • @ReakDuck@lemmy.ml
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    43 months ago

    I either tape the things with Isolation in dark to see nothing or the Painters-Tape which is yellow and partly lets light through.

    But colored isolation band lets the light through a bit too.

  • lost_faith
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    33 months ago

    lol, I know this pain. about 20 yrs ago i bought a shiny new pc case and expected the red leds, it had 2 super bright blue leds that were either solid on(power) or flashing(drive activity), this pc was next to my bed pointing across my bed. the entire room was lit by these and hard blue circles were projected on the wall. ended up taping a cardboard strip over them.

  • sylver_dragon
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    33 months ago

    I’ve not returned an item over it, but I’ve often wondered if there was a market for a company which de-LEDs items.

    • @daggermoon@lemmy.worldOP
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      83 months ago

      Yeah it sucks that I sleep in the same room as my computer. It’s damn near impossible to find a case without RGB.

    • Dyskolos
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      3 months ago

      Amen. I do love LEDs since their dawn and have a big-ass collection. But on every single stupid computer thing? I don’t wanna pay extra just because my mouse can have stupid rgb-lights. Or my damn RAM. It adds absolutely nothing, costs more and has another part that will go broke.

      I hate the rgb-craze…

      One my Xbox controller’s light is so bright it could power our solar-panels. I had to put multiple Band-Aids on it 🫤

    • lost_faith
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      23 months ago

      Last pc i built i had 1 hard request, “I don’t want a damn xmas tree in my pc.” girl laughed and the only light is from the heat sync :(